World Neurosurg
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The lumbar spine displays its greatest mobility in ventral flexion, which is a potential risk factor for low back pain. The relative contribution of each segment to the complete flexion is denoted the spine rhythm, which is required to distinguish between normal and abnormal spinal profiles, and as well to calculate the spinal forces in musculoskeletal models. Nevertheless, different spine rhythms have been reported in literature and the effect of arm position has not been demonstrated. We therefore aimed to investigate the effects of different arm positions on spine rhythm during ventral flexion. ⋯ The lumbar spine displayed greater flexion in the middle and lower levels and its flexion rhythm remained unchanged at different arm positions. These results strike importance to explore for more reasons explaining the different lumbar flexion rhythms reported in literature.
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Review
Paving the path to wellness: a systematic review of wellness programs for neurosurgery trainees.
Neurosurgical trainees have a heavy workload and poor quality of life, resulting in high rates of burnout and attrition. Consequently, wellness programs have been used by various training institutions to combat this situation. ⋯ There is a paucity of literature regarding trainee wellness in neurosurgery. A few training programs have instituted wellness initiatives for trainees, and the feedback was generally positive. However, objective measures of efficacy such as validated questionnaires and scales yielded mixed results.
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In the early twentieth century, early neurosurgical pioneers marked their claims in the specialty during the combined threats of the Spanish influenza and World War I. Their stories, intimately connected, demonstrate personal and professional losses in the backdrop of overarching perseverance to achieve that which allowed neurosurgery to evolve into modernity. Today, as global order adapts to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-COVID-19) pandemic, their stories provide an opportunity for reflection as we carve our way forward as a specialty.
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Single-stage spinal correction without previous neurosurgical intervention has been attempted in patients with scoliosis associated with syringomyelia (SM). However, evidence to demonstrate its potential influence on associated SM from direct spinal correction is still lacking. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of spinal shortening in the prognosis of SM-associated scoliosis after single-stage spinal correction without previous neurosurgical intervention. ⋯ The reduction of spinal cord tension is an important factor influencing SM improvement. As the most powerful spinal-shortening osteotomy, PVCR can effectively correct severe spinal deformities and improve associated SM. Single-stage posterior spinal correction can be a potential choice for selected patients with scoliosis and untreated SM using strict inclusion criteria, which will not only achieve safe spinal correction but could also steadily improve and stabilize SM.